


We can learn from our mistakes, right?

by locaxlaficcion



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, Guardians POV mostly, Thanos will get his ass kicked, Yondu lives bc I love him, infinity war fix-it, it starts at the end of gotg 2, the Avengers will appear later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-06-28 22:38:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15716520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/locaxlaficcion/pseuds/locaxlaficcion
Summary: Peter Jason Quill was having a very bad day. He had just found out his father was a megalomaniac who wanted to destroy the universe and was responsible for his mom's death. But he was gonna kill Ego and everything would be fine! Or so he thought until he received a surprising call from the future. It turns out things had gone a bit wrong over there.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This is the first chapter of my new fic. It's an Infinity War fix it (because that movie left me devastated). It's focused on the Guardians mostly because they're my favorite characters, but the Avengers will eventually appear too. If you like it, leave kudos. And comments are always welcome!
> 
> Btw, English is not my mother tongue so I apologize for any mistakes. Enjoy!

"You people have issues". 

"Of course I have issues. That's my freaking father!"   
  
Peter Jason Quill was having a very bad day. He had just found out his father was a megalomaniac who wanted to destroy the universe and was responsible for his mom's death. So yeah... Maybe a bad day was a bit of an understatement.   
  
He only wanted to escape that planet and never look back. But instead, he drove the ship as fast as he could towards the center of the planet because he had to blow up his father's brain first... or die trying.   
  
He didn't care about his death, but what if something happened to his friends? He would never forgive himself for getting them into this mess. He should have never gone to that cursed place. His gut was telling him not to, and his gut was usually right.   
  
"Quill!" Rocket yelled. "Someone's calling!”    
  
“What?” Peter shouted, obviously surprised. “Who?”

“No idea”.

“And how would they know to call this ship? No one knows we’re here!”    
  
"Again, no idea. Are you going to pick it up or not?”   
  
Peter shook his head. Whatever it was, it could wait. He was a bit busy here.    
  
"Pick it up, boy" Yondu said. "It could be important".   
  
"More than trying not to get killed by this asshole?"   
  
Yondu shrugged.   
  
"You never know. C'mon" He insisted seeing how Peter wasn't sure. "I'll manage here, I've been driving since you were in diapers".   
  
"Doesn't mean you're better than me" Peter mumbled.   
  
"What did ya say?!”   
  
"Nothing, nothing. I'll go get it".   
  
Peter got up from his seat, and walked to the back of the ship where the screens were. He pushed the button to receive the call, blinked once, rubbed his eyes. Since the image of the screen didn't change, he decided he was going crazy. Which wasn't even the worst thing that had happened to him that day.    
  
"Are you finished?” the person at the other side of the screen said.   
  
"I..."    
  
For once in his life, Peter was speechless. Because the person talking to him was Rocket. But the logical part of his brain was telling him that was impossible because Rocket was in the other room, readying his weapons. He could see the racoon from where he was standing.   
  
"I know what you're thinking" screen Rocket said. "You're not crazy, I'm from the future. No, I'm not joking. And I don't have much time so save the questions, ok?"

Peter nodded. He was too shocked to ask anything anyway.  
  
"I'm going to give you a series of orders and you're gonna have to listen to me”.   
  
Peter nodded again though he was starting to wonder if that was a good idea. Rocket's plans were always horrible, and he didn't think that would change in the future.  
  
"Great. First, under no circumstances can you kill Ego”.   
  
"What?! Are you nuts?" Oh, look. He wasn't speechless anymore. "That asshole killed my mom”.   
  
"I know this is hard..."   
  
"You're damn right it's hard! I..."  
  
"Peter!"   
  
Whatever he was about to say next, he shut up. Rocket's expression had changed. He looked so desperate and... tired. Peter had never seen him so tired.   
  
"Look" Rocket continued, "do you trust me?"   
  
"Yes" he replied immediately. "Of course I trust you."  
  
It didn't matter if he sometimes didn't agree with him. Rocket was a Guardian of the Galaxy, part of his team, and he would trust him with his life.   
  
"You will need those powers. I wouldn't ask you otherwise. And you need to get the Orb out of Xandar, it's not safe there. No questions!" He added when he saw how Peter opened his mouth.  
  
At that moment, the entire ship gave a violent lurch, and he almost fell to the floor.   
  
"Yondu! Are you trying to kill us?"   
  
"Ya think this is easy? Maybe ya should git ya ass back here and try it!"   
  
Peter sighed, annoyed. That man was infuriating. He focused his attention on Rocket again and noticed, to his dismay, that there were interferences.   
  
"Another thing, Peter. Grab an extra space suit. You can’t be too careful."   
  
The sound was fading out, and he could barely see Rocket anymore.   
  
"Wait, Rocket! I need to ask you only one thing" He could have asked a thousand really. Why did he look so sad? What had hurt him so much? But the most important one was:  
  
"What the hell happened?"   
  
Rocket gave him a bitter smile. He spoke, but the sound was out, and then the screen went black. However, Peter could make out what his lips said.   
  
"Thanos happened."

* * *

 

"Ok, change of plans" Peter said while he sat in his chair again. "We can't kill Ego".    
  
He braced himself for the reaction of his team. Just as he had thought, everyone started talking and yelling at him at the same time.    
  
"Shut up!" Gamora shouted. She walked to Peter's chair, standing behind it. "I'm sure Peter has a good reason for this, right?"    
  
Peter looked at her. Gamora was furious and he didn't even want to think what would happen if he didn't come up with a convincing excuse. To be honest, Peter thought she was so sexy when she looked angry. As long as her rage wasn't directed at him, like in this case.    
  
He sighed, what could he tell them? There was no lie that could help him sell this. So he decided to tell the truth. In the worst case scenario, they would think he was crazy.   
  
They definitely looked at him as if he had lost his mind when he finished telling them everything. After a really uncomfortable silence, Rocket was the first one to explode.   
  
"Why do you have to drag me in this stupid story!?"   
  
"It's not a story!"    
  
"Maybe you feel bad for having to kill your father. And you have made this up to justify it."   
  
"That's incredibly insightful, Drax, but also not true".    
  
"Ok, let's wait a minute everyone" Yondu said. "I don't think he's making it up".    
  
"Thanks, Yondu".    
  
"He doesn't have enough imagination for that".   
  
"Thanks, Yondu" he said this in a totally different tone of voice.    
  
"I am Groot".    
  
"And you agree with him?!" Peter said, outraged.    
  
"Oh, don't be so sensitive. Ya know I'm right. So either ya telling the truth or ya nuts".    
  
"I'm not nuts! Hell, I wish I was. It would make this easier".    
  
Gamora released a long-suffering sigh.    
  
"I know you're telling the truth, and we'll do as you say. Now we have to make a plan to escape from here".    
  
"That will be useless if that maniac will keep chasing us, though I'm planning to ditch you all as soon as we're out of here".    
  
"Always so helpful, Nebula" Peter said. "So we need to incapacitate Ego someway".    
  
"And how do we incapacitate a Celestial who is thousands of years old?" Rocket remarked.    
  
"I don't know! That's why I said someway!"   
  
The ship lurched forward, against some rocks, and the left wall flew away. They found themselves in a enormous cave. It would have been beautiful if that entire planet weren't so creepy.    
  
"That's Ego's core" Mantis pointed out to the giant center nodule.    
  
"Great" Rocket said. "Fat lot of good that is if we can't blow it up. Stupid future self".    
  
"Not everything is solved with bombs" Gamora added.    
  
"Oh, yeah. Says who?"    
  
Then, Kraglin's voice came from the interphone.    
  
"Captain?"    
  
"Yeah Kraglin. What is it?"    
  
"You remember that Alesha chick?"    
  
"Yeah, why?"    
  
"Ummm... "    
  
"Oh, hell!"   
  
The golden ships of the Sovereigns appeared almost out of nowhere, and began firing at them. Peter tried to maneuver to avoid them, but there were too many and the ship took some hits.    
  
"Rocket, the lasers!"   
  
"I'm on it! Idiot future self forgot to mention this, huh?"   
  
"Obviously".   
  
Peter gets it. Future Rocket had no time, but hell, if he could tell him to grab a space suit he could also have given him a warning about the Sovereigns. But maybe that meant they weren't a big threat.   
  
The lasers activated and took out at least half of the Sovereigns. Peter gave control of the ship to Yondu and went to talk to the team.   
  
"What do we do now?"   
  
"Getting rid of the Sovereigns is the priority" Gamora said.    
  
"Yes, but Ego is gonna find us sooner or later" Nebula replied.    
  
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it". Peter said.   
  
"What bridge? The ship bridge?"   
  
"It's a metaphor, Drax".   
  
"The lasers will take a while to recharge" Yondu mentioned.   
  
"How much is a while, exactly?"   
  
"A while!"   
  
"We'll try to take as many Sovereigns as we can, then" Gamora said, and jumped off the ship without warning. Drax and Mantis followed her. Peter almost felt sorry for the Sovereigns. Almost.    
  
"Blue chick, stay here" Yondu said. "I need your help with something".    
  
"I might have a plan to incapacitate Ego" Rocket said.   
  
"Oh, yes? what are you waiting for to tell me!?" Peter asked.    
  
"Ego's core, behind that thick shell, is a brain. Just like everyone's. And brains can function with some damaged parts."    
  
"You're gonna cause Ego brain damage?"    
  
"Yep. I'll leave him just like a vegetable."    
  
Peter felt uneasy about that. He hated Ego with all his heart, and he wanted to kill him. But what Rocket was proposing seemed a fate much worse than death. Then he thought about all the children Ego had killed (he couldn't think about them as his half-siblings or he would lose it), and he realized it was probably what that bastard deserved.   
  
"And how are we going to do that? Like you said, the shell is really thick. It won't be easy to access his brain".   
  
"The lasers of the ship..."    
  
"... are gonna be used to get rid of all the Sovereigns" Yondu interrupted.    
  
Peter turned to Yondu and he saw how Nebula was plugging some cables into her arm.    
  
"What the..."    
  
"And the ship is gonna explode in 5 seconds so everyone should get out".    
  
Rocket and Peter exchanged an alarmed look, but didn't have to be told twice. In their line of work, if someone warns you something is going to blow up, you run away as fast as you can.    
  
The ship exploded, and took out all the Sovereigns.  _ One problem less _ Peter thought, while he landed on the ground with the rest.    
  
"Mantis, how are you?"    
  
It was obvious that the woman was making a huge effort. She was sweating, and she seemed to be in pain. It broke Peter's heart. He had met just a few days ago, but he felt sympathy for her. How could he not when she had spent her entire life as Ego's slave?    
  
"I don't know how much longer I can hold on" Mantis said. "I've never tried to make him sleep against his will".    
  
"You're doing fantastic" Drax encouraged her. "You're showing great bravery".   
  
"Kraglin's coming" Yondu said. "He should be here at any moment".    
  
"We need to get to that brain".    
  
"Thanks for stating the obvious, Rocket" Peter said. "Ok, you come with me, since you know  how to get in there, and the rest can stay here guarding Mantis."   
  
"I'm going with you" Gamora said.   
  
"Look, Gamora, this is dangerous. If things go wrong, and it's highly probable that things will go wrong, you can escape in the Eclector."   
  
Gamora smiled at him. "This is non negotiable. And I don't think you can stop me."

He sighed.    
  
"You're absolutely right."  _ And that's one of the things I love about you. _ He wouldn't tell her that, of course.    
  
"If she's going, I'm going too!" Nebula shouted outraged.    
  
"What? So you two are buddies now and don't want to kill each other anymore?" Rocket, who was deeply skeptical about the situation, asked.    
  
"Shut up!" both sisters said at the same time.    
  
"Fine" Rocket shrugged. "Who am I to question your weird ass relationship?"   
  
"Let's just go" Peter said. "Yondu, when Kraglin comes..."   
  
"I'll tell him where you are”.   
  
"Thanks" he was going to turn away, but the Centaurian stopped him.    
  
"Hey, Peter".   
  
"What?"   
  
"Be careful, ok?"    
  
"... Ok".   
  
Peter was surprised. Yondu almost never showed concern for him and the change was...nice. And that surprised him even more. After learning his real reasons for taking him away from Earth so many years ago, Peter had to rethink a lot of things about his relationship with Yondu. Now was definitely not the time, though.    
  
They all flew towards the core, entered one of the caves and were stopped by a thick wall of an unidentified material.    
  
"So what do we do now, Rocket?" Peter asked the rodent.    
  
"Easy. Use those new powers of yours".   
  
The statement was followed by an uncomfortable silence until Peter yelled:   
  
"Easy!? Are you kidding, that's your big plan? The only thing I've been able to do is a fucking ball!"   
  
"Yeah, well. We have no weapons powerful enough to get through that wall and hurt Ego's brain. So you'll have to make an effort!"    
  
Peter was about to use a series of specific insults that he had reserved only for the annoying racoon when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Gamora. She was looking at him with an understanding look, and he immediately felt a bit comforted by it. She just had that effect on him.    
  
"I know this is hard, Peter. I've been asked to do things I wasn't sure I was capable of too. But I have faith in you. We all do. You only need to have that faith in yourself too”.

Peter sighed. Right now he only felt like a screw up who had gotten their friends into a really bad situation. But he was also the only one who could get them out of this mess so he put his hands on the wall, closed his eyes and focused on the energy flowing through the planet. And… nothing happened. He could feel the power, he just didn't know how to control it or mold it into what he wanted it to do.

Then, a huge boom was heard below them, where the rest of the team were.

“Guys, are you ok?” Peter asked.

“We’re fine” Yondu answered, “but the weird girl fainted”.

“She couldn't take it anymore” Drax explained. “Ego is awake”.

“Oh, shit” Peter swore because there was nothing else he could say to that. “Drax, take Mantis to the surface and get her on the Eclector when Kraglin arrives”.

There was an explosion of light and suddenly Ego was in front of them. Or at least a skeleton of light that was supposedly Ego.

“Do you think you can defeat me so easily?”

“I hoped to try at least” Peter said, taking a step forward and putting his friends behind him.

“It didn't have to end like this, son”.

“I’m. Not. Your. Son”.

“You have my genes, whether you like it or not”.

Suddenly, light tentacles came out of the walls, and tried to immobilize the Guardians. Gamora and Nebula cut them off with their swords, and Rocket and him shot at them.  _ It's too much, we’ll never make it _ Peter thought, desperate. Then a whistle was heard and a bright red light destroyed all the tentacles.

“Ya have always been an overconfident prick, Ego” Yondu said while he picked up his arrow.

The Celestial was furious. He was used to getting what he wanted and he was tired if so many obstacles. Enough was enough. He threw all the tentacles he could towards Yondu.

Peter watched horrified how all those deathly tentacles were directed at the Centaurian. If they reached him, he would die with or without his arrow. Peter had already lost so many people.  _ Do I have to watch how even more of my family die? _

He felt something inside him snap and he screamed, pouring out all his frustration and anger. He realized the tentacles had stopped just a few centimetres from Yondu’s face who was staring at the scene dumbfounded, like he couldn't believe his good luck.

“Damn, boy. I knew ya could do it”.

Peter grinned at him.  _ I’m holding the tentacles, wow. Better late than never, I guess. _ He thought. He could feel them in his mind. It was a weird sensation, but at the same time he felt more powerful and complete than he had in his entire life. Ego had an astounded look, it was clear that he had never expected Peter to get a hold of his powers so quickly.

“You’re not so brave, now?”

Ego growled like some kind of monstrous dog, and Peter swallowed nervously.  _ Maybe I shouldn't poke the bear _ . Seeing how Ego was already on the move, Peter created two balls of light and threw them at the wall which collapsed.

“Go!” he said to the rest of the team. “I’ll hold him off, but you have to get to his brain”.

The gang hesitated, they didn't want to leave Peter alone in the face of danger. It felt too much like abandoning him.

“Go!” Peter insisted.

“He’s right” Nebula said. “This is our only chance”.

“Doesn't mean we have to like it”.

“No, it doesn't” Gamora agreed.

God, she was so afraid for Peter. If something happened to him, she would never forgive herself. She was the one who convinced him to travel to this horrible place. And there were so many things she wanted to tell him, like she didn't want their unspoken thing to be unspoken anymore. It was a frightening step for her, but she was willing to take it with Peter. But she buried those thoughts, right then they were only a distraction. She turned away and ran with the others. They needed to end this as soon as possible.

They heard loud booms outside, but Gamora refused to think about them. Besides, Peter was a skilled warrior, she knew he could win. They finally reached the damned brain. It was so big and brilliant. Gamora had a hard time thinking a being so powerful had such an obvious weak point.

“What do we do now?” she asked.

“The plan was cutting off the non essential parts” Rocket answered.

“And which parts are non essential?”

“Ehhh…”

“You don't know?!” Gamora yelled, seeing how Rocket hesitated.

“I’m not a doctor! I think this zone” he said, pointing to the low left side, “controls the movement and the memories”.

“You think? So you're not sure?”

Rocket shrugged. Gamora scoffed. Maybe they got it wrong and killed Ego, so what? He deserved it and if that fucked up the future, they were the Guardians of the Galaxy, masters of correcting their own mistakes. She grabbed her sword, Godslayer, and without stopping to think about it she cut off that portion of the brain.

Immediately, the sounds stopped. The team ran to the exit and gasped at what they saw. The cave was completely devastated, it looked like a hurricane had destroyed it.  _ Or two angry Celestials  _ Gamora thought, distraught. Could Peter have survived that? He had the same powers than his father, but Ego was more experimented.

“Look!” Nebula said, pointing at the sky.

Someone was falling to the depths of the cave. The figure didn't move at all, it was obvious he was unconscious. It was too far to recognize who he was though there were only two options: Peter or Ego. And whoever he was, he was too far away to reach him in time with the propulsors. Gamora was petrified. Maybe she would have to see how Peter fell to his death. She didn't think she could ever recover from that.

Suddenly, Yondu whistled making his arrow flow like the wind towards the figure. The red light that always followed the arrow wrapped around his waist, and then the Centaurian whistled the arrow back with the person in tow.

“That arrow of yours is really something” Rocket remarked.

Yondu just grinned, too busy guiding the arrow to answer. The man was laid on the floor. It was Peter. His clothes were ragged, including his characteristic red coat. And his face was so pale.  _ Was he breathing? _ Gamora thought. She was too afraid to find out.

Nebula wasn't, though. She knelt and touched his neck to feel his heartbeat. After what seemed like an eternity, she said:

“He’s alive”.

Everyone else heaved a sigh of relief.

“He’s sweating and hot which is not normal for his species, I think. He should get medical attention”.

“Shit!” Yondu swore. “Ok, Kraglin has just arrived, he’s on the surface because the cave is too unstable”.

“That's great, but are we sure Ego is incapacitated?” Rocket asked. ”I mean, where the hell is he?”

“I don't know, but I’m not staying here to find out” Nebula said, and flew towards the patch of light that signaled the exit.

“I am Groot”.

“What did I say about the swearing?” Rocket reprimanded him.” But you're right. Total bitch”.

Gamora bit her lip because she didn't want to start arguing with the pair. It was not the time nor the place. She went to pick up Peter, but Yondu had done it before her.

“Well, let's go!”

They all flew towards the exit when Groot started to yell frantically and point to the left. They all looked at that direction and saw why the little tree was so nervous.

Ego was sitting on one of the rocks. He had a blank look on his face. He was staring ahead and, even though Rocket waved his hands in front of Ego's eyes (and stopped when Nebula kicked him in the leg), he didn't react.

“Ok, that's it. The guy is out, let's get out of here”.

Everyone nodded. They couldn't wait to get away from that awful planet. The team flew to the Eclector and got in. Drax and Mantis, who was already recovered, were waiting for them obviously worried.

“Is it over?”

“Yes, Mantis. It's over, Ego won't bother you again” Gamora reassured her.

“Krags, fly away!”

“Yeah, sir“.

The ship rumbled and they could see how they left the planet behind them.

“Good riddance, motherfucker” Rocket said with hate.

“I’m gonna put Peter in one of the rooms” Yondu said.

“How is he?”

“I don't know. Same as before”.

Yondu led them to a room at the end of the hallway and put Peter on the bed. He was still sweating a lot, and when Gamora touched his face, she noticed he was burning up.

“What's happening to him? He should be fine” Gamora said.

“Maybe I can…” Mantis didn't finish, but her suggestion was clear.

She knelt beside Peter and grabbed his hand. Her antennae glowed and she closed her eyes to focus. Eventually, she opened them and frowned.

“He’s… exhausted, and restless at the same time. It's like he's fighting something”.

“Fighting what?!” Yondu said. ”The fighting is over”.

“I don't know. But I’m afraid it might be too much for him, he's making a huge effort”.

“What do you mean, Mantis?” Gamora asked with an intimidating tone.

“He… he might not make it”.

The entire team felt the weight of those words. They had been about to lose Peter, and now they had to go through it all over again?

“Like hell he won't!” Yondu yelled. “I didn't cross half of the galaxy for this! Krags, set a course for Xandar, and get out of that chair. I’m driving”. 

He got out of the room and the rest stayed there, looking at Peter.

“Well, I’m going to take a shower” Nebula said.

“You all should get some rest. It's been a long day” Gamora said to the others. “I’ll stay with Peter”.

“I will stay with him too” Drax said. “It is not honorable to leave a hurt friend”.

“You’re not leaving him, dipshit” Rocket retorted. “We’re in the same ship. And we can't stay together in this room. It's too small”.

He was right. The room barely had space for a bed on the right side, a closet on the other side, and a table and a chair between them.

“He’s right, Drax. We’ll wait outside. Gamora is more than capable of taking care of Peter” Mantis assured him.

Drax nodded, sadly, and got out of the room with the rest. Before getting out, Groot made a small flower sprout from his arm and put it next to Peter’s head, on the pillow.

Once Gamora stayed alone with Peter, she took the only chair of the room and sat as close as possible to Peter’s bed. She couldn't help herself, and brushed some curls away from his forehead.

“You have to wake up, Peter. There are too many things I want to say to you”.    


And just then, Peter opened his eyes slowly. He was completely disoriented. He felt cold and hot at the same time, and he was so, so tired.

“Peter?”

He turned his head to the right. Gamora was looking at him with worry in her eyes. He hated being the cause of that worry.

“Hey” he said, because he didn't have the strength to say anything else.

“How are you?”

“A bit cold, actually”.

“Umm… ok, wait a minute”.

She stood up and opened the closet. Right then, Peter recognized the room immediately. 

“Are we on the Eclector?” he asked Gamora.

“Yes, why do you ask?”

“This is my old room” he said, giving a small smile. “The blankets are in the last drawer”.

Gamora opened that drawer and, just like he said, the blankets were there. She went back to the bed and put the blanket over him.

“Better now?”

Peter nodded. He wasn't so cold anymore, but he was still exhausted and he felt spikes of pain. It was as if his body was being electrocuted.

“We’re going to Xandar. The doctors there will cure you”.

“Ego?”

“He was comatose when we left”.

“Good”.

Peter felt another pulse of pain. This time was stronger than the others and he couldn't contain the groan of pain that escaped his lips.

“What's wrong?” Gamora asked, eager to help him and relieve his pain someway.

“I… I don't know. It hurts”.

He felt Gamora’s hand over his, and he squeezed it reassuringly.

“It will be ok” Peter said.

Gamora chuckled.

“I’m the one who should be making you feel better, not the other way around”.

“Well, we’ve never been a very normal couple”.

“No, you're right” she smiled, and then released a sigh. It was now or never. “Peter…”

But she never finished what she was going to say because at that moment Peter arched his back and he screamed. Gamora saw, amazed, how his veins turned a fluorescent blue for a moment, and then the effect disappeared just as quickly. Peter lay still after that. After getting over the shock, Gamora touched his neck.

There was no heartbeat. Only her many years of training allowed her not to panic and call the rest of the Guardians:

“Come here, it's Peter!”

The entire team was there instantly. Upon seeing the scene, Rocket ran towards Peter and asked:

“What the fuck happened?”

“I don't know! His heart just stopped!”

They started CPR. Gamora, who was the strongest, began chest compressions while Rocket breathed for him. The Zenwhoberian forced herself to focus only on the task, but a part of her mind was repeating over over. _What if he dies here? It’ll be your fault_. Her life would be over, she was sure of it.

“Gamora” Rocket called her.

“What are you doing? Don't stop!”

“Gamora, it's not working" Rocket’s eyes showed an infinite sadness, and she hated him for it. Because that meant he was giving up. She just kept doing the compressions.

“Gamora, Rocket is right” Drax said. “Let him go”.

“No!” But her eyes were starting to get blurred, and her arms felt weaker. Drax grabbed her waist and pulled her away from him.

“No…” This was only a whisper. “It can't be. We just saved him”. 

She started to cry and sob uncontrollably. Fuck everything, if there was a time to break down it was now because she had just lost the only man she had ever loved. She was too stupid not to say it to him in time.

And now she never could. Someone else wrapped her arms around her and hugged her. It was Nebula.

“I’m sorry, sister”.

Mantis knelt beside Peter, with tears on her eyes.

“What are you doing” Gamora asked fiercely. She knew it wasn't Mantis’ fault, but right then she hated everything that reminded him of Ego.

“Something… I don't know if it will work. I’ve never tried it before”.

She put her hands on Peter's chest, right where his heart was. Then, she closed her eyes and said:

“Beat”.

The silence that followed was deafening. Everyone looked at their fallen friend, not even daring to hope. And then, suddenly, Peter took a deep breath. 

Gamora cried even more then, but this time of relief.  _ He is alive, thank the gods he is alive _ . 

“I am Groot!”

The little tree jumped from Rocket's shoulder and hugged Mantis.

“I am Groot!”

“He’s thanking you” Rocket translated. “Everyone thanks you, Mantis”.

The yellow alien smiled. She was just happy for saving a friend’s life. Peter had saved her from living as a slave, she would be in his debt forever.

Gamora wanted to thank Mantis too, but she couldn't talk. All her senses were focused on Peter, who was unconscious. She got close to him and stroked his face. She was not leaving him until they reached Xandar. 

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys! Thanks for all the kudos and comments, I really appreciate it. I'll try to post a new chapter every weekend until I finish this fic. No idea how long it will be though xD
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Peter sat up. The last thing he remembered was talking to Gamora and an intense pain, like nothing he had ever felt. And then, darkness. But now he felt fine. Nothing hurt which was a nice change. _But where the fuck am I?_

It definitely wasn't the Eclector. He was in a large clearing. The sky was a deep orange which gave a sickly tone to everything. He looked around, but there was nothing for miles. No trees, no cities, no people. The place was really creepy. 

“Hi”. 

He turned around. There was a small green girl who, apparently, had come out of nowhere. She was looking up at him with sad eyes, and Peter’s first instinct was to hug her. He contained himself though because he didn't want to scare her. And there was something so familiar about her. That dark hair with bright pink ends.

“You’re Gamora”. 

The little girl smiled and nodded. 

“What are you doing here?” he asked. 

“I have to be here. I’m so glad to see you”. 

Peter knelt in front of her, so they could look at each other’s eyes more easily. 

“I’m happy to see you too. I always wondered what you looked like as a child. You’ve never wanted to talk about it”. 

Gamora shrugged. 

“Thanos destroyed my planet. And then he destroyed everyone that mattered to me”. 

“Why? What happened?”

“He achieved his dream. And now I’m here alone, and everyone is dead”. 

There were tears in her eyes and Peter finally hugged her because he couldn't stand seeing any version of Gamora suffering. 

“Did I die?” Peter asked though he already knew the answer. He could feel Gamora nodding against his shoulder. 

“It's ok” he said, stroking her hair. “I’ll change this, I swear. You won't be alone”. 

“I really hope you can. I trust you, Peter”.

And then, before Peter could say anything else, everything went black again.

* * *

 

"How long until we reach Xandar?” 

“We’re almost there. I’m driving as fast as I can”.

Rocket sighed and plopped down on the seat next to Yondu. _What a shitty week_ he thought. He hoped to take a break after defeating Ego, but no such luck. The last serious talk he had with Peter was a fight. The humie told him he was acting like a dick and he was right. Rocket had always had a tendency to self-sabotage anything good that happened to him. Sometimes he wondered how Groot had enough patience to put up with him during so many years. 

He was not gonna fool himself. Rocket felt guilty for saying all those things to Peter. He thought saving his ass from Ego was a good way of apologizing. Then, why did he still feel so bad? 

“What's wrong with you, rat?” Yondu asked. 

After Rocket flipped him off for the insult, he said. 

“None of your business”.

“I was just curious”. 

After a few moments of silence, Rocket said:

“Gamora told me that room used to be Peter’s”. 

“Yeah. He had another one on the main ship. The one we blew up” he added unnecessarily. 

“It happened yesterday, I remember”. 

“Well, he used the one on this ship when we had to go on a mission together”. 

“Did that happen often?”

“Sometimes, yes. Especially when he was young. He was an annoying brat, I couldn't leave him alone on the main ship because half of the crew hated him”. 

“What the hell did he do?” With a bit of luck, Rocket could use the information as future blackmail whenever Peter ordered him to stop tinkering with his ‘ridiculously dangerous’ bombs. 

“I could write a whole list” Yondu scoffed. “At first, he got in the vents and we had to spend hours looking for him. I swear he knew those vents like the back of his hand. Luckily he grew up, and he didn't fit into them anymore. But then, he found other ways to piss everyone off”. 

“Do tell”. 

Yondu grinned. He knew perfectly well what the racoon was trying to do, he wasn't born yesterday. Oh well, that wasn’t his problem right?

“There was this time when he grabbed a gun. He hadn't fired in his life, but he thought it couldn't be that hard. That's what he told me later anyway. He went to the dining hall, and some idiot dared him to shoot a cup or something like that. He ended up shooting a guy in the ass and he broke the water tank. We couldn't even take a shower until we reached land. Or wash the dishes. Mind you, hygiene was never a priority, but the closest planet was two weeks away. The entire ship stank by the time we got there. That's when I decided to teach him how to shoot before he killed himself, or someone killed him”.

“I have to ask. Who did he shoot?”

“Taserface”. 

That was the icing on the cake, and Rocket burst out laughing. He wished he could have been there to see that asshole’s face. Eventually, he stopped when he saw Yondu frowning.

“He’s gonna be ok” Rocket said. 

“Yeah. Those Xandarian pricks can cure anything” Yondu replied though he didn't sound too convinced. 

“You should talk to him”. 

“He’s asleep”. 

“I mean, later. When he is fine” ‘If’ wasn't a possibility in Rocket’s mind. “Stop wasting your time”. 

“What do ya mean?”

“I mean, you raised this guy and you risked your life to save his ass. So maybe stop acting like a dick with him”. 

“How dare you?! ”

“It’s true, you told him you wanted to eat him”. 

“It was a joke!”

“He was a kid”. 

“Well… “

“You see why that can be contradictory?”

Yondu sighed. The damned rat was right. 

“Look. I wish this whole thing had come with a manual. But it didn't. And it’s not easy raising a child when ya have taken him away from the only home he knows and you can even tell him why”.

“The excuse of being small and good for stealing didn't help either”. 

“It was the only thing that sounded… believable! I know it made me look like an asshole. But maybe that's what I deserved”. 

“Yeah, well. Maybe. But it's not what Peter deserves, so get your shit together”.

“Don't push it!”

“Fine, fine. I was just saying. Oh look. We’re already here”. 

“So go warn the others”. 

“Aye, aye captain” Rocket said mockingly. 

When he was sure he was gone, Yondu mumbled annoyed:

“Damned rat, he thinks he knows everything”. 

The guards let them in without asking any questions. The Xandarians would always be in their debt for saving the planet. It was nice to know they had a place where they could always feel safe if they were in trouble. 

They landed just in front of the hospital, consequently scaring a lot of people. The team got off the ship, with Gamora and Drax carrying Peter who hadn't woken up since the last incident, but at least he wasn't any worse. 

“Hey!” Rocket yelled, waving his guns around.”We need a doctor!”

“There are other people waiting, sir” a pink man behind the reception desk said.

Immediately, an arrow appeared just a few centimetres away from his throat.

“We need a doctor. Now. Understood?” 

Right then, a redheaded woman approached the group. 

“Gentlemen, no need to make a scene. Nurses! Bring a stretcher, now!”

“I’m coming with you” Gamora said. 

“No, you're not”.

“I wasn't asking”. 

Gamora got dangerously close to the doctor who, surprisingly, didn't look intimidated at all. Maybe she had a death wish. 

“I’m not asking either, lady. If you want us to save him, we can't have people around bothering us. You can wait outside like everyone else. It's for his own good”. 

“Gamora, she's right” Drax intervened. “You should let the professionals do their job”. 

Gamora looked at him, knowing he was right. But she just hated to leave Peter alone. She saw how they took him away and sat on the hallway with the rest of the team. 

“So…” Rocket started. “While we wait, I’ve been thinking about something. My stupid future self mentioned that Thanos attacked, right?”

“Yes, and I will bathe in his blood!" 

“That’s not the point right now, Drax” Gamora replied.

“I think that Thanos gets all the Infinity Stones. What other reason there is to travel back in time?” Rocket said. “And that's why stupid future self told us to get the Orb out of Xandar”. 

“Then we should explain this to the Nova Corps, and they will give it to us”. 

Everyone laughed at Mantis’ statement while she looked at them confused. What was so funny? It's what she would do! 

“Girl, ya gotta learn a couple things about how the Galaxy works. The Nova Corps would never believe us”. 

“And even if they did” Nebula added, “they wouldn't hand a massive destruction weapon to anyone. Even the tree knows that”. 

“I am Groot”. 

“See?”

Mantis frowned.

“But then, what are we going to do? We can't leave it here”. 

“We’re gonna do what we do best” Rocket grinned. “Steal it”.

“Maybe there is another choice” Kraglin, who had not opened his mouth until that moment, said. 

“Like what?”

“I don't know! Like something that doesn't imply stealing from the most powerful army in the galaxy!”

Everyone kept silent and tried to think about some other way because, let's be honest, no one wanted to rob the Nova Corps. They respected the Guardians (hell, it might be the only planet that liked them), and this felt like betraying their trust. They definitely wouldn't be welcomed anymore after stealing from the Xandarians. 

“There’s no other choice, guys” Gamora said. “We can’t let Thanos get the stone”. 

* * *

 

After that depressing talk, the Guardians waited hours to know about Peter. They asked a lot of times, but the staff always told them the same: they had to be patient. 

“If we don't know anything soon, I’m going in” Gamora said. “I don't care if you don't like it”. 

“I’ll go with you” Yondu replied. “I’m tired of waiting”.

Thankfully, a doctor appeared at that moment. 

“Family of Peter Quill?”

They all got up. 

“First of all, Mr. Quill will be fine”.

“What took you so long, then?”

If the doctor was annoyed by Rocket’s rudeness, she didn't show. 

“His condition was difficult to assess. We had never had a similar case. His organism is half Terran and half something else”. 

“Celestial”. 

“Oh? Good to know. So, this was Mr. Quill’s body a few months ago, I got the records from the Nova Corps”.

She got a little device, pushed a button, and a hologram of Peter’s organs appeared before them. 

“It’s an almost completely normal Terran body, except for these nodules in his nervous system” She pointed to some yellow spheres distributed over the body. “After some tests, we realized their purpose is to store and conduct energy. And here is his body right now”. 

The hologram changed. It was the same body, but there were many more nodules. 

“And is that… normal?” Rocket asked dubiously.

“Again, we’ve never seen a case like this one. But yes, I would say it's normal. His body is adapting to the other part of his biology. Has someone happened recently that could have started this change?”

There were some seconds of uncomfortable silence until Yondu said:

“Yeah, I can think of a thing or two”. 

“Well” the doctor continued, “his body has to carry more energy now so that's why more nodules are being created. The problem is that the process can be complicated”. 

“Complicated?” Drax asked. 

“It's a natural process and we can't stop it. But until all the nodules have been created there's going to be a bit of discomfort”.

“A heart attack doesn't sound like a bit of discomfort!” Gamora looked ready to murder the woman. 

“There will be no more cardiac problems. That only happened because he wasn't in a hospital and it was the first and strongest episode. It will be painful though”. 

“Ok, so how long will it last?” Mantis asked hating the thought of seeing Peter suffering. 

“I don't know exactly, but it should be over in a few days, a week tops”.

“Can we see him now?”

“Sure, he's in a room in the third floor, resting”. 

“Thanks, doc” Yondu said. “Sorry if we’ve been a little… “

“No problem. You're not the first nervous family I talk to”. 

The doctor left, relieved to be done with these people. She had told the truth, they weren't her first freaked out family. But they certainly were the most dangerous looking one. 

* * *

 

Peter opened his eyes. The white ceiling surprised him, he was expecting the orange sky and the fog. Was it a dream? The entire experience had a dreamlike quality, but at the same time it had felt so real. And Gamora… No, it was just like Yondu had said. He didn't have enough imagination to make that up. 

“Peter”. 

He turned his head. Gamora, adult gorgeous Gamora, was looking at him with relief. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't realize where he was. 

“You’re in the hospital” Gamora said, like she could read his mind. “In Xandar. The doctors said you’re going to be ok”. 

"And the others?" 

"They're all fine. They got back to the Eclector". 

"So..what exactly happened to me?" 

She explained everything to him, and when she finished Peter said:

“Wow. That's a lot of information”.

“Yes”.

And then, the impossible happened. Gamora grabbed his hand in a situation where he was not about to die. _Maybe I’m still dreaming_ he thought. 

Gamora felt even more guilty when she saw his astounded look. _Was I really so cold to him that this small gesture surprises him?_ But of course she was. She had always tried to avoid getting too attached to Peter. Sure, they had danced together a lot of times, but even then she kept her distance. She didn't want him to get the wrong idea. Or, rather, she didn't want to get hurt. She had been raised her to be a killer. And killers didn't have feelings. Well, he was even going to be more surprised. 

She leaned over him, put her other hand on his chest and kissed him. It was long, passionate and she tried to pour all her feelings into it. Peter wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him. _If this a dream, I don't want to wake up ever_ he thought. But then, his body had the horrible idea of sending a pulse of pain all over him and a groan escaped his lips. Gamora immediately pulled herself away. 

“I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you?”

“No! That was awesome really. Completely amazing” he remarked. “It's just my body ruining my life”.

Gamora sighed and she sat down, still holding his hand.

“Peter, you died. Your heart stopped”. 

“Oh”. 

“I thought you were gone, and I realized I had been so foolish. I…I was taught, since I was a kid, that feelings were an annoyance, an obstacle. But then I met you, and you made me feel. Even if I didn't want to because I was afraid of getting hurt. A part of me will always be afraid of that, I guess”. 

“Gamora…”

“Wait, let me finish” She didn't think she could ever get this out of her chest again if he stopped her now. “I’m tired of being scared. Today I realized I don't want to waste more time. That I need you to know how much you have changed my life, Peter. I wouldn't be the person I am today without you, and I’m so glad for it”. 

Peter squeezed her hand harder to let her know how much he appreciated her words because now he felt a lump in his throat and he couldn't speak even if the universe depended on it. But after a few moments he managed to say:

“Sooo… that means we’re gonna kiss again?”

Gamora laughed (and had he mentioned she had the most beautiful laugh he had ever heard?). 

“Yes, Peter. There will be more kisses... among other things”.

Peter grinned. 

“How about now?”

* * *

 

“My Lord”. 

“What do you want, Ebony?”

“I have to inform you about some worrying changes?”

“What's the problem now?”

“There have been some distortions in the spacetime. These distortions have happened on Terra where two of the stones are”. 

“I know where the Stones are. Do you think it's related to that?”

“Yes, sir. Our spies on the planet have said these distortions were caused by people who travelled from a close future. They saw some of the Avengers along with Rocket, a member of the so called Guardians of the Galaxy, and Nebula”. 

Thanos got up from his chair, and walked to the place where Ebony Maw was on his knees looking down. 

“Get up, Ebony. Your help has been invaluable today”. 

The servant gave him a respectful smile and stood up. 

“If I may be so bold, what do you want to do, my Lord?”

“It seems we’re gonna have to start our plans earlier than we thought. It's time to go into action”. 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys! Here's the new chapter. I'm starting to think fanfics are the only thing we have left now that Marvel has stopped gotg 3 production. *Sigh* Anyway, I hope you like it and leave kudos! :)

It was being a bad night. Sure, Peter had only been one day in the hospital (and it already felt like an eternity). The doctors had told him it was going to take a while for his damned body to settle. He didn't even know how to feel about that. Peter hated Ego, and didn't want to have anything of him. It disgusted him, no matter how cool those Celestial powers were. And that's another thing, would he be able to use them now that he wasn't on Ego’s planet? He sighed. Maybe he should have ignored future Rocket and killed Ego. At least he wouldn't be stuck in this mess. 

And, oh yes, they had to steal the Orb from the Nova Corps! Because that was going to be easy. He had been trying to form a plan with the team that day. It didn't go well. They argued loudly (he hoped the hospital staff hadn't heard them), and Peter kicked them out of the room because he had ended up with the mother of all headaches. 

So with these worries and the pulses of pain that his nervous system was sending all over his body, sleep was not an option. It looked like he was going to spend the night looking at the ceiling and thinking how much his life sucked. 

Suddenly, the door opened. Peter tensed, expecting an attack, and cursing his luck because he didn't have any weapons. Then, he saw Yondu and he relaxed again. 

“What are you doing here?”

The Centaurian shrugged. 

“I couldn't sleep, so I figured I could come here to...to…”

“Check up on me, maybe?”

“Yes, something like that”. 

Yondu sat on the chair next to Peter’s bed. 

“So how are ya?”

“What do you think?” Peter replied. 

He shrugged again and something in that gesture made Peter want to strangle him. It had always irritated him since he was a kid, how Yondu always shrugged like saying, ‘do what you want, I don't care’.

“Actually” Yondu said, oblivious to Peter’s look, “I came to give ya something”. 

He took a little device out of his pocket, and handed it to Peter. It was rectangular and it had a pair earphones connected to it. 

“What is it?”

“It’s a Zune. They guy who sold it to me said they were really famous on Terra. It plays music, like your Walkman”. 

“What?!”

Peter turned it on immediately. He thought he would never listen to Terran music again after Ego had destroyed his beloved Walkman. He saw there was a really long list of songs, he knew some of them but a lot of the others were completely unknown for him. The prospect of discovering new music excited him. Still, he would always miss his Walkman, the last gift of his mom. 

“Thanks, Yondu” he said. “This is amazing”. 

“It’s nothing. With your track record, I always knew that Walkman wouldn't last too long”. 

“Not funny”. 

“Yeah, it has come to my attention recently that my jokes are horrible”. 

“Truer words have never been spoken”.

“That's not funny either, brat”.  

Peter smiled having succeeded in getting on Yondu’s nerves. And since they were alone, he thought this was the perfect moment to ask the Centaurian the question that have been nagging him for days. 

“Why didn't you tell me?”

“About what?” Yondu replied even though he already knew the answer. It seemed he couldn't avoid the dreaded conversation anymore. 

“About Ego. You lied to me, you told me you took me because you needed a thief!”

Peter ended up shouting, but he was just starting to realize how much resentment and anger this caused him. 

“Oh, please. You were a stubborn brat. If I had told ya about Ego, you would have escaped to find him as soon as you could”. 

“That's not… Ok, maybe you’re right! But I still deserved to know the truth”. 

“I wasn't gonna let that bastard kill ya, like all those other kids. If that meant lying to you, well, I’ve done worse things”. 

Peter sighed. He guessed he could see Yondu’s reasoning. But that just left him with more questions. 

“And why me? Why did you decide to save me?”

“'Cos I’m an asshole, but not one hundred percent a dick”. 

Peter chuckled, recognizing his own line.

“Fair enough. But you could have dropped me off at some planet. Ego probably wouldn't have found me”. 

“You had never been in space. Remember when I brought you to the Eclector for the first time? Kraglin still has the scar where you bit him”. 

“I apologized later! And to me you all looked like monsters from a bad movie”. 

“Ya see the problem, right? Ya would’ve been killed or worse in less than a month. I know a Ravager clan ain't the best place to grow up. I know I made mistakes or that I wasn't the perfect...paternal figure”. 

_ Well, I said it _ Yondu thought. He actually felt relieved, at least now he could finally find out if he was too late. He couldn't blame Peter if he didn't want anything to do with him. To his surprise, the Terran gave him a smile. 

“I think we can always learn from our mistakes. And I don't know, maybe you’re not such a bad…dad”.

And Peter really meant it. It was amazing how long it had taken him to realize this. Maybe first he had needed to know how shitty his biological father was and how much worse it could have been for him. Yondu was far from perfect, but at least he had protected him (more or less). He had taught him how to fight, how to shoot, how to survive.

“Since either of us can't sleep” he said. “What if you help me try the Zune?”

He offered one of the earphones to Yondu who looked at it wearily, but he still took it. 

“Ok, but not the song about the damned pineapple. I hate that one”. 

“Fine, I didn't know you were so picky”. 

Peter chose the first song on the list, and they spent the night listening to old and new music. 

* * *

“So the plan is clear?”

A week had passed and Peter could finally be discharged from the hospital. He had spent some excruciating days even though the company of his friends and girlfriend? (he wasn't sure what to call Gamora yet) had helped. Over time, the pain receded and now he actually felt pretty good. And thankfully, completely normal. For a time, he was afraid he would grow two heads or become a walking ball of light, as ridiculous as that sounded to him now. 

“Yes!” Rocket yelled. “Would you stop asking us that?”

“Well, some of you are not really good at paying attention. Right, Groot?”

Groot, who had recently become addicted to a videogame, didn't even answer and kept playing with his console until Rocket took it.

“I am Groot!”

“You’ll play later”. 

“I am Groot”. 

“Excuse me? Who has taught you those words?”

“Probably you, Rocket” Gamora said. “And can we get back to what we were discussing?”

“I still think my plan was better” Nebula replied. 

“Killing everyone in our way doesn't qualify as a plan” Peter said, with the tone of someone who’d had repeated that a million times before. 

“I’m with the blue chick” Yondu said. 

“We’re not killing anyone unless it’s absolutely necessary, and that’s final! Ok?”

No one had the guts to get into an argument with Gamora so they all nodded, and Peter heaved a sigh of relief. He was so glad Gamora was supporting him in this. 

“Can we go over it one more time?” Peter asked.

“I’ll get into the vents, and plant some small bombs throughout the building. When they explode, they will cause a fire that will get everyone out” Rocket explained, annoyed because they had rehearsed this a lot of times. 

“Then, when everyone is distracted, I’ll sneak into the control room and I’ll try to find where the Orb is” Nebula said. 

“And?”

She scoffed, but said:

“No killing everyone unless it’s absolutely necessary”. 

“Great. Meanwhile Gamora and I will interrogate Nova Prime in case Nebula doesn't find out the location of the Orb”. 

“She probably won't tell us anything” Drax mentioned.

“Yeah, I know. But we have to try. Maybe if we explain the situation, she’ll believe us. It's unlikely, but it could happen”. 

“The rest of you” Gamora finished, “will be waiting outside for instructions. As soon as we tell you where the Orb is, you go get it”. 

They nodded. It seemed everyone had their part clear, and that made Peter feel a bit more confident. 

“Well, we’re meeting with Nova Prime today. That's when we’ll start”.

_ And God help us if this goes wrong _ he thought. 

* * *

“I understand you have information about the huge mass that appeared in the middle of the city”.

Peter and Gamora were sitting in Nova Prime’s office. Peter swallowed. He didn't want to tell Prime anything about the mass Ego had created. It was something deeply personal for him, but it was the only way of getting a reunion with Prime. Then he felt Gamora squeezing his hand under the table. He looked at her briefly, silently thanking for being there with him, and he started:

“A few weeks ago, I met my biological father. He was a Celestial…”

He was halfway through his tale, more specifically when Ego decided to use him as a battery, when suddenly all the alarms blared out. A guard opened the door, with terrified look on his face and yelled:

“Nova Prime, there are multiple fires in the building!”

“How many?” 

“One in the second floor, and two in the third one”. 

Nova Prime sighed, annoyed. Couldn't she have one quiet day? She got up and went to the interphone. 

“This is Nova Prime. Evacuate the building immediately. The safety of the workers is not guaranteed. And call the firemen! What the hell are you doing?”

Gamora and Peter had stood up too, and they were pointing at her, Peter with his characteristic guns and Gamora with her sword. 

“I’m sorry, Nova Prime” Peter said, looking truly apologetic. “But we have no other choice”. 

“After everything we have done for you?”

Gamora shrugged. 

“It’s not easy for us either”. 

“Right… I don't know why I thought you were different from all the others. Once a criminal, always a criminal”. 

Those words hurt for Peter. A long time ago, he would have been proud of being called a criminal and a thief, but now he liked to think he had changed. Sure, he kept stealing when it was necessary, but for a good cause and to protect others. 

“Where’s the Orb?” Gamora asked. 

“Why do you want it? You're the ones who gave it to us!” Nova Prime was obviously confused.

“Because it's not safe here. Thanos is coming for it”. 

“How do you know that?”

“Would you believe us if we told you it's a message from the future?” Peter said. 

From Nova Prime’s face, she didn't believe them. Not that Peter ever had much faith in that. “I’m not telling you where the Orb is. Even if what you say is true, it’s much safer protected here than out in the space. What if Thanos destroyed your ship?”

It was a good point. An entire police force could protect the Stone better than his ragtag group. But future Rocket had told him to do this, and Peter trusted him. Then Nebula’s voice came from the auricular in his ear. 

“I found it! It's in the center of the building, fourth floor. Just below where you are”. 

“Heard that, Yondu?”

“Loud and clear. We’re on our way”. 

“You’re making a mistake” Nova Prime said. 

At that moment, there was a deafening boom. It came from outside.  _ Now what? _ Peter thought. He got close to the window and looked down. The square, that square where the Guardians had met a long time ago, was in ruins. There was smoke and many bodies, some of them horribly mangled. The survivors were screaming terrified, running around and pointing up. A spaceship occupied a large portion of the sky, looming over the city like a nightmarish monster ready to eat his prey. It was a huge ship, the biggest Peter had ever seen. And he had seen a lot of big ships. 

“Who the hell are those guys?”

“Peter”. 

He turned around, and his heart sank. Gamora was looking at the spaceship with wide eyes, and he had never seen her so terrified. He knew who that ship belonged to, even before she said:

“That's Thanos’ ship”. 


	4. Chapter 4

Peter felt petrified. He hadn't expected this at all. Their plan was simple: distract the Nova Corps, get the Orb and run away. Now they had to deal with Thanos and his army? And all those dead people... 

“Peter”. 

He shook his head. He couldn't afford to be paralyzed, he was the leader of the team. The plan had gotten complicated, so what? The Guardians were experts at plans going wrong. 

“Peter” Gamora was calling his name again. 

“What?”

“We have to get the Orb”. 

“Yes, but we have to protect these people too. Thanos will destroy the planet”. 

“Peter, we can't”. 

“What do you mean we can't? This is our job!”

“She's right” Nova Prime said, surprising the duo. “You have to grab the Orb and escape. If Thanos gets that Stone, all the universe will be in danger”. 

“But… you said you could protect it”. 

The Xandarian gave him a bitter smile. 

“The situation has changed. Thanos has appeared unexpectedly. We can't take any risks. You can run away without him noticing. He’ll be too distracted by our ships”. 

“You won't be able to stop him!” Peter said desperately. 

“I know. We’ll evacuate as many people as we can. And we're Xandarians. We will not go down without a fight”. 

_Xandar is doomed, then?_ Peter thought. After everything they had gone through to save the planet, this… purple asshole was going to destroy it? 

“Maybe we can help” he said even though he knew the truth. 

“I appreciate it, Quill. But it won't make a difference. The only thing you can do is get the Orb away from here”.

Gamora took his hand, trying to comfort him. Peter could look superficial and reckless to those who didn't know him. But Gamora had learned a long time ago that behind that facade, there was a caring man who would risk his life to save others. This was harder for him than for her. She tried not to think too closely about what that said about her. 

“I don't like this either” she told him. “But we don't have any other choice”. 

“Yeah, I know” Peter replied sadly and resigned.

“You already know where the Orb is” Nova Prime said. “The password is 657. Hurry”. 

They both nodded and walked away while Nova Prime barked instructions on the interphone.

It would be the last time they saw her.

They ran as fast as they could because time was of the essence and they raced down the stairs to the third floor. The hallway was bare except for an armored door at the end. Gamora walked to the door until she was in front of it when she realized Peter wasn't following her since he had stopped at the foot of the stairs.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, worried. 

“Nothing” he answered, moving again. 

“Are you sure? You look a little pale”. 

“There's nothing wrong, Gamora. It's just the situation”. 

“Right…” she said, obviously not believing him. But right then she didn't have time to interrogate him.

Peter almost released a sigh when she didn't press the issue. He didn't know how he could explain this. As soon as he stepped a foot on the hallway, he started to feel the Orb. It sounded crazy, but there was a part of him that could feel the stone pulsating, calling him. It was the same overwhelming power he had felt when he grabbed the Orb during the fight against Ronan. But this time, thankfully, it was an echo. He didn't think he could have resisted it otherwise. 

Still, it was a pretty strong echo.

Gamora entered the password on the keypad and the door opened. It was a large circular room with white walls. In the center, encased in a crystal box, was the silver sphere that contained the Orb. Peter sighed. It seemed like they were back to the starting point. He couldn’t help but think that all their efforts had been for nothing and that was incredibly depressing. Peter shot the box, breaking it, and grabbed the sphere. When he touched it, he could feel the raw power emanating from the Stone. It was so tempting. The Orb was taunting him, practically telling him to grab it just for a few seconds and all his problems would be over. He could defeat Thanos, he would be a real hero, no one would have to die…

_No_ he thought firmly. He knew what would happen if he took it. He thought about the pain, and, more important, the lack of control he had felt during the fight against Ronan and that was enough to erase the temptation. Maybe now he could use the Orb, sure, but at what cost? 

Without giving it much thought, he hid it in his jacket and he tried to ignore the Stone. He turned the communicator on and said to the rest of the team:

“Everyone, Thanos is here. Gamora and I have the Orb. Go to the Eclector immediately, we have to leave in 10 minutes”.

And with that said, they ran to the exit.

* * *

“Shit!”

Rocket got out of the vents followed by Groot. 

“Man, those vents are really claustrophobic. How was this Peter’s favorite pastime as a kid? And they call me weirdo”. 

“I am Groot”. 

“Right. Thanos. Focus, ok”. 

They started running to the exit. Of course Thanos would appear just when they were carrying out the plan. That was just their shitty luck. The hallways were empty thanks to his little distraction, so at least that would save them some time. If only the damned alarms stopped, they were so annoying. Then, to his surprise, he saw a familiar blue figure running down the hallway.

“Nebula!”

The woman turned and Rocket grimaced. He didn’t like Nebula’s expression at all. He had seen people with that kind of rage too many times and it never ended well.

“Hurry up” the raccoon said, “we have to get to the ship”.

He really, really hoped Nebula would just nod and follow him. But when did things ever turn out the way he wanted?

“I’m not going”.

“Nebula, for fuck’s sake”.

“Thanos is here. Don’t you understand? This might be my only chance to kill him and I’m not going to waste it”.

“There will be other times! Think about your sister, she wouldn’t like this”.

“She has never liked anything I do”.

Nebula understood the raccoon, she really did. And she was even touched by his concern. But what he didn’t understand is that Nebula wasn’t only damaged, she was broken. She was glad her sister had found a new family, a new life. But there was no going back for Nebula, no redemption. She remembered that when she was a kid, she used to lie awake all night, thinking what her life would be like if Thanos had never taken her.

She didn’t do that anymore, it was no use. She had accepted what she was, a monster, just like him. She had allowed her hatred to grow, until it was the only thing she felt, the only thing she wanted to feel. Her only motivation now was to kill Thanos. Nebula didn't care if the price was her life. At least, her suffering would finally end.

“I’m going with you”.

Rocket was not the one who said this. It was Drax, who was on the stairs.

“Yondu and Kraglin are going to the ship. I came to find you and make sure nothing had happened to you. Rocket, you should go before it’s too late”.

“Wait a minute! What the hell do you mean by you’re going with her?”

“You know what I mean”.

“Drax, listen to me. You’re one of the best warriors I’ve ever met, but he’s known as the most feared person in the galaxy for a reason. You can’t win this time. He will kill you. Please, don’t do this”.

Rocket knew he was begging and he hated it. But the determined glint in Drax’ eyes made him desperate. He just couldn’t see how a member of his team, a friend, ran to his death. He thought about shooting him, but Drax was too heavy for him. He would never be able to carry him all the way to the ship. Talking him out of it was the only option, and Rocket already knew he was going to fail. Feelings were Quill’s thing, not his.

“I’m sorry, friend. But if I die, at least I will have died for an honorable cause: avenging my family”. 

Drax turned and walked away with Nebula before he could reply. And Rocket’s despair turned to anger.

“Your family?” he yelled. “Your family is dead, they’re not coming back. What about us, you selfish piece of shit? What about us?!”

_We’re not your family too?_ Rocket wanted to say, feeling tears prick his eyes because god, how could he be so stupid? But Drax had already left. Groot touched his shoulder. 

“I am Groot”. 

“I’m fine” he said, but he was betrayed by the crack in his voice. “If that idiot gets himself killed, it will be his fault. Come on, we gotta go”. 

* * *

“They what? Are you fucking kidding me?”

“I wish, humie”. 

“Ok, just… just go to the Eclector”.

Peter sighed. Why did everything have to be so damn hard? 

“What happened?” Gamora asked him. 

“I just spoke to Rocket. Your sister and our giant buffoon have gone after Thanos”. 

“What?”

“That was my reaction”. 

“Peter, we can't let them. They will be killed”. 

“Yeah, we have to find them”. 

“You get the Orb to the ship and I will go after them”. 

“Hell, no!”

“We can't afford to lose the Stone”. 

Peter saw her imploring look and he wanted to scream because he knew she was right. One of them had to save the Orb, and Gamora had more chances of bringing Nebula and Drax back. Nebula was her sister and she had always understood Drax better than him. 

“I will come back for you. And please avoid Thanos at all costs”. 

Gamora nodded. Then, she cupped his face with her hands and kissed him. Peter wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her towards him. For just one moment, his universe consisted only of him and Gamora. But eventually, the kiss ended. 

“Now, go” Gamora said with a sad smile. 

Peter turned and walked away without looking back. He would never be able to leave if he looked back.

* * *

There was mayhem outside. Even though the Nova Corps were trying to control the situation, people were running around, panicked. Gamora understood them, the sight of the spaceship was pretty scary, especially now that some smaller ships (but still pretty big compared to a normal one) had landed on the ground. The doors of the ships opened at the same time, and thousands of hideous monsters came out of them. _The Outriders_ Gamora thought, terrified. They were Thanos’ army of hellhounds. But he had never used them on their conquests before. That meant he was dead set on getting the Stones. He wasn't playing around anymore. 

Even worse, this also meant that the Black Order was there. Thanos’ other children. What she could have become if she had never left. Fuck! _I have to find Nebula and Drax soon_. She ran to the monsters because that's probably the direction they had taken. Running towards danger was just like them. After a few minutes running, she started to shout their names, hoping they would hear her. There's too much noise, and the city is huge. _I’ll never find them_ she thought. 

She knew this was a doomed effort. She still had time to go back to the Eclector, but she couldn't abandon Nebula. Not again. And then, she saw them, at the other side of the street. 

“Nebula, Drax!”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Nebula asked, raging. 

“What am I doing here, seriously? I’m trying to make you stop!”

“Why do you care?”.

“I care because you're not gonna kill him, you're just gonna commit suicide”. 

“He ruined our lives!”

“And he will get what he deserves. But not now”.

And then Gamora took her hand. She could see Nebula was shocked since physical contact for something other than fighting was unusual to them. But maybe it was time to finally change that. 

“Nebula, please. You're my sister and I don't want to lose you”. 

Nebula looked at their intertwined hands. Her eyes softened, and Gamora thought she had achieved her objective. Suddenly, Nebula pushed her to the ground. 

“Hello, sisters. Did you miss me?”

Gamora looked up. Towering over her was Proxima Midnight, the strongest of her sisters. She was pointing her spear at her, but Nebula got between them. She unsheathed her knives and with a vicious smile she told her:

“I can't wait to see you rot in Hell”. 

“You first!” Proxima yelled and she charged at her. 

Nebula deflected Proxima’s attacks with her knives, but Proxima was stronger than her. She swinged the spear and Nebula fell on one knee. That's when Gamora got over her shock, and she tried to stab Proxima on the back with Godslayer. Proxima got out of the way thanks to her swift reflexes, but now the odds were against her. Then, Drax who had surprisingly had gone unnoticed until that moment, tried to attack her. Proxima turned, swinged her spear and hit Drax on the head leaving him unconscious. Both Nebula and Gamora used the distraction. Nebula tried to stab her in the heart while Gamora went for the legs. Proxima put her spear in front of her chest to stop Nebula’s attack but she couldn't avoid Gamora piercing her thigh. Proxima groaned, losing her balance momentarily. Nebula grinned. That was the perfect chance. She raised her knives. 

“Bye, bitch!”

Just when she was going to deliver the final blow, she felt how someone grabbed her from behind. She tried to get away, but the force was unmovable. A force she knew all too well. 

“Now, children, play nice” Thanos said, smiling. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Writing fight scenes is so hard... And next chapter will probably be 50% fights. Oh, joy. 
> 
> Nah, I'm kidding. I love writing ;) So I hope you liked this chapter. As always, kudos and comments are appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

Peter went right, avoiding a big piece of concrete hurtling towards him. The ships overhead kept firing at the buildings, and his heart was beating like a drum. It would be a miracle if he didn't end up flattened against the sidewalk, especially with how fast he was flying. He barely had time to avoid the falling debris. He knew using his boots like this was reckless. They weren't made for such high speed and they could give out at any moment. But he needed to get back to Gamora as soon as possible. 

He looked down. In a normal situation, people would have probably noticed a man flying dangerously, but right now everyone was running trying to get away from the disaster. He saw some people who were not as lucky as him and were smashed under the buildings collapsing.  _ All for the greed of one man _ Peter thought, clenching his fists. 

Suddenly, he saw a familiar figure and Peter landed on the ground. 

“Hey, Kraglin!”

The Ravager turned and before he had a chance to reply, Peter handed him the Orb. 

“Take this to the Eclector, will you?”

“What the… Is this… ?”

“Yeah, it is. I have to find Gamora, Nebula and Drax. I have no time to explain”. 

“Wait! What if I drop it or something? This is fucking dangerous!”

“Krags, I’ve been in dozens of heists with you and you’ve never dropped anything. You're the best thief I’ve ever seen”. 

Kraglin looked surprised, and only managed to say:

“Ok”. 

Peter gave him a reassuring smile and activated his boots. When he was hovering in mid air, he told him:

“If I’m not back in fifteen minutes, you should leave. Protect the Orb”. 

And with that, he left to find the rest of his team before it was too late. 

* * *

“You have caused me many problems. Of course, I didn't expect any less from you”.

Gamora grimaced. She had forgotten how much she hated that condescending tone. She preferred to focus on that hatred rather than on her fear because she was living her worst nightmare. She had spent years preparing herself for this situation, but somehow now she felt she wasn't ready at all.  _ Ready or not, I have no choice. _ She raised Godslayer and she settled into a fighting stance.

“Let Nebula go”. 

“That’s all you have to say after all these years?”

“You don't deserve anything else”. 

Thanos had the gall to look slightly offended. 

“Well, you have always been stubborn, little one”. 

“Don't call me that”.

Thanos half-smiled, letting her know he knew she hated that nickname and was using it to rile her up.

“I’ll let her go if you come with me”. 

“Why? I don't have the Orb. That's why you're destroying this planet, right?”

“Yes, but you know where the Soul Stone is”. 

Gamora’s heart skipped a beat at that moment. Did he suspect she had lied? Or maybe he was just desperate and she was her only lead. Either way, she had to keep up the pretense. She would kill herself before letting a Stone fall into his hands.

“I told you I couldn't find it”. 

“I don't believe you”. 

“It’s the…”

“Stop lying!” he roared. 

Gamora shut up. Thanos had lost his patience and getting on his nerves would be even worse. Anger was just fuel for him. And he had no intention of releasing Nebula. She sighed, maybe this was the end for both of them, but they would go down fighting.

She charged at Thanos, who raised the hand with the gauntlet to stop the sword. Meanwhile, Nebula got a knife out of the back pocket of her trousers and tried to stab Thanos. The Titan took a step back to avoid her, letting her go in the process. He faced both sisters fighting together. 

“It’s curious. You have always hated each other, but now you are united against me”. 

“We’re united because we're sisters. No matter how hard you tried to pull us apart” Nebula replied. 

Gamora looked at her proudly. She also considered Nebula as part of her family, but she had never been sure her sister felt the same way. She was afraid the estrangement between them was too severe, and Nebula could never forgive her for her mistakes in the past. 

Suddenly, Gamora felt an impact on her lower back, making her stumble. Proxima had hit her with the spear and only her swift reflexes let her avoid a lethal blow. 

Nebula was fighting against Thanos and Gamora swore. _ I have to get rid of Proxima quickly to help her _ . She stood up and swinged Godslayer, forcing Proxima to defend herself. And then, Gamora kicked her right on the wound in her leg. Proxima let out a scream of pain, holding the injured area. Gamora hit her in the ribs with the sword, making her fall to the floor, and she raised Godslayer.

“Sorry, Proxima”. 

Her former sister looked at her with an expression of absolute hate. 

“Just do it”. 

Gamora pierced right through her heart, trying to make it as quick as possible. Proxima instantly went limp. A shudder went through Gamora. That could have been her lying on the floor if she had never left Thanos. But there was no time to think about that. Gamora turned to help Nebula who was trying to attack again and again the Titan, but it was like fighting against a mountain. 

And Thanos looked particularly angry right now. Proxima’s death had probably been the last straw. 

He closed the hand with the gauntlet in a fist, and Nebula’s knives turned into bubbles. Gamora looked at the gauntlet, petrified. She had thought all the sockets were empty, but now there was a red stone, shining brightly.

Thanos already had one Stone. They had failed before even starting. 

A sword appeared in Thanos’ hand, invoked by the Stone, and Gamora realized what the Titan planned to do. 

“No!” she yelled, and ran towards him. But before she could even take two steps, she fell to the floor. She tried to get up, but her legs didn't work. Gamora looked down, and saw her legs had turned into cement. Literally. She tried to crawl, but the weight was too much even for her. Her eyes blurred with tears of impotence and helplessness. She couldn't do anything. 

Thanos swinged the sword with all his might, but Nebula stopped his arm with both her hands. The Titan looked surprised, he clearly hadn't expected Nebula to be so strong. 

“I have to admit you have improved since you left”. 

Nebula smirked even though she was sweating due to the effort and she felt like her arms were going to fall apart at any moment. 

“But it's not enough!” he added with a vicious smile, and he punched her in the face with the gauntlet. Nebula fell to one knee, dazed by the hit. And, before she had time to get up, Thanos pierced through her back with the sword. 

“Nebula!” Gamora yelled.

Nebula collapsed on the ground. She felt numb and cold especially on her back, but at least she didn't feel any pain. She knew this was the end for her. Thanos had ripped some of her vital enhancements (on purpose of course. No one knew her weak points better than him), and she felt them shutting down. She looked at her sister, shouting and trying to reach her, even though she couldn't fix anything. And as weird as it sounds, Nebula felt happy. She was going to die, but it was nice to know someone cared for her in the end... With the last of her strength, Nebula moved her arm, brushing her sister’s hand. 

“Nebula…” 

“It’s ok, Gamora”. 

Then, Thanos pulled the sword out of Nebula’s body. Her eyes widened for a moment, and then closed forever. 

“Nebula! Nebula, please!” 

But Gamora knew her sister would never hear her again. She didn't even realize she was crying until she felt tears running down her cheeks too caught up in her grief to notice Thanos looming over her.

“I’m sorry little one. But she had defied me too many times. And you shouldn't have killed Proxima”.

Thanos was looking at her sadly, but she didn't even have the strength to get angry. Nebula had always been a constant in her life. Her family. Sure, now she had the Guardians, but there were parts of her life they couldn't understand. But Nebula did because she had to go through the same things as her. And even worse. And just when Ganora was starting to correct her mistakes, when Nebula and her were starting to be sisters again, this monster took her away from her. Just like he took her parents and her childhood. _Taking and stealing, that's all he does_. And the monster in question was crouching beside her right now. 

“If you tell me where the Soul stone is, I’ll let you go”. 

“I’d rather die”. 

Thanos sighed, like a father disappointed with the attitude of his rebellious teenager. 

“Very well. You’ll come with me, then”. 

“Like Hell she will!”

Gamora looked up. 

_ Oh, no. Peter _ . 

* * *

Yondu sat down and turned all the controls on. He never thought he would say this, but life as a Ravager had been a walk in the park compared to the last weeks. His limit was one crazy psycho per month, thank you very much. Unfortunately, the universe had different plans.

“Is everything ready, dick?” Rocket said.

“Not because you helped, shithead. Where are the others?”

At that moment, Kraglin barged into the ship disheveled and wide-eyed.

“It’s chaos out there, Cap’n”. 

“I’ve already told ya I ain't captain anymore, Krags. Do ya know where the others are?”

“Ummm… yes. You're not gonna like it”. 

“If I had a unit for every time I’ve heard that…  What is it this time?”

As an answer, Kraglin and got a familiar sphere out of his pocket. 

“What the fuck?” Rocket yelled. “Peter was the one who had the Orb!”

“Yeah, I know. I saw him halfway. He gave it to me, and he told me he had to find Drax, Nebula and Gamora”.

“And?” Yondu asked. After so many years, he knew when his partner wasn't telling him everything.

“Peter told me to leave if he didn't come back in 10 minutes. He told me we had to protect the Orb”. 

Yondu stared at his former first mate who was trembling internally. During his time with the Ravagers, one of those looks meant someone was going to lose his head. Yondu, though, didn't say anything. He turned back to the controls and started the ship. 

“Wait, Yondu! The ten minutes are not up” Rocket said. 

“We’re gonna find those idiots”. 

“But the Orb…”

“Fuck the Orb!” Yondu shouted. “I know you all love that self-sacrificing shit. But I don't. I’m selfish. And I’ll put Peter before that damned glowing ball. If you don't like it, you can go fuck yourselves”. 

There was silence for a few moments until Mantis, who had been hiding in a corner because she hated to see the team arguing, said:

“I want to save them too. Sorry”. 

“I am Groot”. 

“What about you, Kraglin?” Rocket said. 

The Ravager shrugged. 

“I’m with them. Peter has saved my ass a couple times. I owe him”. 

The raccoon sighed, and then grinned.

“I guess I’m feeling a bit selfish today too. Let’s go, old man”.

* * *

Peter Quill flew down, and kicked Thanos in the face with his boots. Before the Titan could react, he went up again, out of his reach. He knew that wouldn't hurt Thanos, but that wasn't his objective. He smiled when he saw Thanos had opened the hand with the gauntlet and the effect of the reality stone faded. Gamora could move again. She stood up, and she grabbed Godslayer.

“Ah, so this is the boyfriend” Thanos said calmly.

“Ah, so this is the genocidal asshole” Peter replied back with a confident smile.

Inside, he was terrified. Objectively, he had always known Thanos existed and that he was dangerous. He was famous throughout the Galaxy and Gamora had told him some of her experiences. But still, Thanos was like a faraway threat, like the Boogeyman. Someone so scary that he was almost unreal. 

But now Thanos was in front of him, and he realized the enormity of his task.  _ Holy shit, Nebula is dead _ . But he couldn't lose his focus thinking about that. Now, he had to distract Thanos (because he knew taking him down wasn't an option) enough time to get Gamora and Drax out. Maybe she could carry Drax? 

While thinking about his options, he touched his left ear and his helmet covered his face. He shot at Thanos who protected himself with the gauntlet. The shots didn't even scratch him, and the Titan gave him a sardonic smile:

“Is that all you can do?”

Then, Peter got some grenades out of his belt and threw them at Thanos so fast that the Titan couldn’t react in time. The bombs exploded right in front of his face. Peter flew down and grabbed Gamora by the waist.

“Peter, what…”

“Shut up and grab Drax when we are over him”.

He hated to treat Gamora like that, but there was no time. If they slowed down to argue (like it was usual for them when they were fighting), there would be no chance to escape. Gamora seemed to realize that too because she closed her mouth, reached down and grabbed Drax by the neck. The combined weight of Gamora and Drax was almost unbearable to Peter and he had to bit his lip not to cry out because his arms and back felt like they were on fire. He went as fast as he could, but then he felt a pull on his leg and lost control. He knew he couldn't stop in time and they were going to crash. He fell on his back, protecting his teammates and taking the brunt of the impact. He was planning to hold onto Gamora, but the fall was too hard and he let her go. He skidded across the street and for a moment he thought he would never stop. Until he crashed into a wall. 

He was grateful for his helmet because he was pretty sure his brains would be scattered on the ground otherwise. 

“Peter?”

He turned his head to the right and he cried out because his shoulders were killing him. Gamora was crawling towards him, she had a gash on her head but she looked unharmed overall. 

“You ok?” she asked. 

“Yeah” he didn't nod, though. He was too dizzy for that. “What happened?”

“Thanos ripped your boot”. 

“Mmm”.  _Of fucking course_. 

Like Death itself, the dust of the debris cleared and Thanos appeared in front of them. Without giving them time to react, he clenched his fist, ready to punch Peter.  _ So this is the end _ he thought, oddly calmed. He had tried his best, but it wasn't enough.  _ Huh, story of my life _ . He smiled bitterly under his helmet. 

“No! Stop!”

Gamora put herself between Thanos and Peter, and the Titan stopped his fist just a few centimeters away from Gamora’s face.

“I’ll go with you, ok?” she said, defeatedly. “Just stop”. 

Thanos stared at Peter with renewed interest, and the human suddenly felt the urge to vomit. He almost preferred when Thanos looked at him like a lion would look at a zebra. The Titan smiled slightly, and said to Gamora:

“So you really care about him. I thought he was in love with you, but I never expected you to reciprocate those feelings. He’s coming with us, then”. 

“No!”

Gamora got up, but Thanos grabbed her and threw her to one side like a doll. And that awoke something inside of Peter. 

“Leave her alone, you fucking monster!”

He stood up, overcoming his dizziness. And Thanos looked at him with contempt. 

“This has gone on for too long. Enough games”. 

The Titan swinged his arm, and Peter grabbed it with his hands. _How the hell did I do that. Oh my god._ He felt a vibration rip through him. Electricity came out of his fingers and snaked through Thanos’ arm. The Titan hissed, and drew his arm back surprised. 

“You’re a little box of surprises”. 

Peter would have answered, but the use of his energy (that cleared up the subject about whether his powers still worked), and the fight had left him drained. His legs refused to support him and his vision began to go black at the edges. Peter was unconscious before he touched the ground. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry? I did not have Nebula's death planned at first. But I think that Thanos is way too powerful and it's impossible for everyone to survive. Thanos will be defeated, but there will be casualties. And I tried to make Nebula's death respectful for the character, I don't know if I succeeded. 
> 
> And btw, I will be very busy in the next days because I'm moving to study my postgraduate, so probably there will be no new chapter next week.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you liked it. Leave comments or kudos! ;)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha! Bet you thought I had dropped this, right? First, I'm so sorry for not updating for so long. But I've been really busy with the postgraduate so the two weeks turned into a month. I promise to start updating more regularly from now on. As always, leave comments or kudos if you like this because it's a great source of motivation for me :)
> 
> Btw, the Captain Marvel trailer was awesome! So excited for that movie!!

“We’re not going fast enough, old man!” Rocket said, fidgeting on his seat.

“Ya think ya can do better?”

“I know I can do better”.

“Ya know? Ya can kiss my…”

Before Yondu could finish his completely original insult, the ship lurched to the right. A less skilled pilot would have crashed, but Yondu corrected course pretty quickly. This wasn't any worse than flying through an asteroid camp while a Kree army chased you. At least that's what he kept telling himself. 

“I am Groot!”

“We’re not getting distracted” Rocket said, in reply to the tree’s criticism.

“Yes, you are” Kraglin said. “And we can't rescue the others if we're all dead”.

“So now ya don't trust my piloting skills, ya ungrateful little shit?”

Kraglin mumbled something really similar to “I don't trust your ridiculous temperament”, but he promptly decided to shut up after both Rocket and Yondu sent him annoyed looks. 

“Are you sure Peter went this way, Kraglin?” Mantis asked, partly to diffuse the tension. 

“Yes. But I don't know where he is exactly, he didn't give me any clues”. 

“Doesn’t matter. I think we're here” Yondu said.

The landscape in front of them looked like a war zone. The entire city looked like a war zone at this point really, but this site specifically looked like someone had dropped a nuclear bomb. Yondu stopped the ship, and the team got down, looking at the deserted place with dread and hopelessness. 

“Let’s search the place. We don't have much time” Rocket said. 

They walked around. The raccoon hoped his friends weren't there because he didn't believe they could have gone through this unscathed. 

“Guys” Kraglin was crouching a few meters from them, holding something metallic in his hand. “This is part of Peter’s boot”. 

“Are you sure?” Rocket asked him.

“Is everyone gonna keep asking me that?” Kraglin yelled, annoyed. “I helped him build the damn things so yes, I’m fucking sure”. 

Rocket sighed. Sometimes he forgot Kraglin had know Peter since he was a little kid and they had their own experiences together. He tried to ignore the pang of jealousy he felt. 

“But where the fuck are they?” Yondu said. 

“I am Groot!” the tree was pointing to the left, where someone was lying on the floor. When they got closer, they saw it was Drax. He was so still that he looked dead. The thought was terrifying to Rocket. If Drax was dead because he couldn't stop him… Mantis knelt beside Drax and touched him, and after a few seconds that felt like an eternity to everyone, she said:

“He’s just asleep”. 

Rocket heaved a sigh of relief, and then said:

“Kraglin, keep searching the place. Maybe the others are under the rubble”. 

The Ravager nodded and left. 

“Should I wake him up?” Mantis asked. 

Rocket knew waking up abruptly thanks to Mantis’ touch could be disorienting. But then, maybe that was what Drax deserved for his idiocy.

“Yes, do it”. 

Mantis touched his head and said:

“Wake up”. 

Drax opened his eyes immediately and sat up. He looked ready to murder someone, but he contained himself when he saw who was around him. 

“What happened? Where am I?”

“In Xandar, in the middle of a fucking invasion, remember?” Rocket said. 

Drax’ eyes widened and then his face distorted with anger as he growled:

“Thanos…” 

But before he could say anything else, Yondu grabbed by his shoulders. 

“Where is Peter, you big green doofus?”

“Peter?” Drax repeated confused. “I didn't see Peter, just Gamora and…”

“Hey”. 

Kraglin had come back, carrying Nebula in his arms. They all knew as soon as they looked at her. 

“I am Groot” the little tree had tears in his eyes. Rocket picked him up and hugged him. 

“I found her not too far from here” Kraglin said, putting her carefully on the floor. “There was another chick. Also dead”. 

“And the others?” Mantis asked. 

The Ravager shook his head.

“There's no one else”. 

“Do you think they are…?”

“No” Yondu replied firmly. “If they were dead, we would have already found them”. 

“What happened, then?”

“I…” everyone turned to look at Drax. “I fought against one of Thanos’ children, she was called Proxima, that must be the other woman”. 

And Rocket snapped. 

“So you fought one of Thanos’ minions, huh? Nebula is dead! And Peter and Gamora are god knows where, probably taken by Thanos! So was your little revenge worth it, you dipshit? Are you satisfied now?!”

Drax opened his mouth, but Rocket stopped him:

“If you say something, I swear I will shoot you. Just don't talk to me”.

Drax stared at the ground, looking ashamed. 

“Rocket, please. This is no time to fight” Mantis pleaded. 

The raccoon thought she was just trying to protect Drax. Those two had always had a special bond. But she was right. They had to move quickly.

“Ok, we’re leaving”. 

“Wait a minute, rat” Yondu said. “What do you mean with we’re leaving? We're not abandoning Peter or the green chick”. 

“We’re not abandoning them!” Rocket shouted. “But we don't know where they are. They probably are not even in Xandar anymore. And we have an Infinity Stone in the ship. Thanos’ army is attacking the Nova Corps Headquarters, but they’ll soon realize it's not there. If they get the Orb, this will have been for nothing”. 

Yondu didn't say anything else, though he was obviously still pissed.  _ Well, get in line _ Rocket thought, but he didn't say anything. 

“What about Nebula?” Kraglin asked.

“Take her” Yondu answered. “She deserves a proper funeral”. 

For once Rocket agreed with the Centaurian. Nebula and him never saw each other  eye to eye , but he had always admired her. She was a survivor and a fighter, and that's something Rocket could relate to. 

The team went back to the Eclector. This time Rocket was the one who sat on the pilot chair. 

“So where are we going?” Yondu asked. 

“No fucking idea”. 

* * *

Peter woke up to a pounding headache.  _ Where am I? _ He noticed he was lying on a hard floor, face up. The ceiling looked like it hadn’t been washed in decades.

“Peter”. 

Peter turned his head and saw Gamora looking at him with concern. It all came back rushing back at him: Xandar, the Orb, Thanos, Nebula… 

“How are you?” Gamora asked. 

“I’m fine” he said, sitting up to illustrate his point and failing miserably when he groaned. Gamora frowned even more and Peter smiled reassuringly. 

“It’s just my back. Really, you don't have to worry”.

He looked around. They were in a small cell, with only one bed as decoration. The bars were made out of laser, and Peter preferred not to touch them. He was pretty sure he would just end up electrocuting himself, based on many previous experiences. 

“So, what happened after I fainted like a damsel in distress?”

Gamora scoffed. 

“Peter, you're no ‘damsel’” she air quoted that last part. “You hurt Thanos”. 

“It’s not like I made him bleed or anything”.

“Still, it's something”. 

Peter decided to change the topic. He didn't want to talk about his powers. 

“You haven't answered my question”. 

“Thanos took us to his ship. We are already out of Xandar”. 

“And the team?”

Gamora shrugged.

“Thanos didn't see them. That's a good thing”. 

Peter nodded. That meant they were safe, or at least that's what he hoped. Yondu was probably cursing at him for leaving without saying anything to anyone. Again. 

“What do you think it's gonna happen now?” 

Gamora looked scared. He hated to see her like that. He hated that one person was enough to make Gamora show that feeling. 

“He… He wants to know where the Soul Stone is”. 

“Do you know?”

Gamora’s expression was answer enough. Peter sighed. Now he knew why Thanos had taken him. He was leverage. 

“Look, Mora” he said, calling her by the nickname he used when they were alone. “Whatever he does, don't tell him”. 

Gamora clenched her fists. 

“I can't see you suffer, Peter”.

“I can take it” he took her hands and squeezed them. “He already has one Stone, and we don't know if he got the Orb. If he gets another one, he will practically unstoppable. You can't sacrifice the entire universe for one guy”. 

“You’re not just one guy. Not to me”. 

Peter smiled sadly. He knew Gamora appreciated him, but it was still nice to hear her saying it. Better late than never. 

“I know. But you have to do this”. 

“I'm tired, Peter” her voice dropped to a whisper. “I’m tired of him taking everything away from me”.

He sighed. He was tired of seeing her hunted by that monster too. But saying that wasn't going to help her or comfort her 

“I’m sorry. For Nebula”. 

Gamora’s eyes glittered with tears, and Peter hugged her hard. She buried her face on his chest. 

* * *

They had decided to go to Knowhere basically because it had always been their refuge when things went wrong. And it was pretty hard for things to be even more fucked up. Peter and Gamora were gone, and there was no way to find them. Rocket had been in the workshop for hours, trying to track the signals of the coordinates near Xandar, but there was nothing. He wasn't surprised. Thanos probably had bought or stolen the most advanced technology in the galaxy. Rocket was just a fool for thinking life could give him a break just once.

“Rocket”.

The raccoon grabbed his tools tightly when he heard Drax’ voice, and kept looking at the bombs he was arming. 

“Rocket, look at me”. 

But Rocket kept ignoring him. Drax sighed, and sat on a bench beside his teammate, suspecting this was going to be a one-sided conversation. 

“I’m sorry. I was wrong. I let my desire to revenge my family cloud my judgment… again. I really thought I had learned from my fight against Ronan. But I’m still an idiot, and I ruined everything”. 

“You have another family now, idiot. I thought you had already realized that”. 

“I do. I feel the same way, Rocket. But it's not easy”. 

That was enough. Rocket threw his tools against the wall. It was that or punching Drax in the face. 

“Yeah, well. I'm done with you putting your revenge above us! If you just had focused on stopping Nebula from going after Thanos, maybe things would’ve been different”.

“I know. It's a burden that will forever be on my conscience”. 

Rocket looked at him coldly. 

“Good”. 

“I hope you can forgive me… someday”.

The raccoon sighed. 

“Look, we gotta work together to find Peter and Gamora. So we gotta leave this behind us”. 

Drax smiled slightly, thinking that meant Rocket was willing to forgive him, but his next words wiped that smile off his face. 

“But I don't forgive you. I don't know if I ever will. And I don't trust you either”.

Drax nodded, resigned. 

“I understand”. 

He got up and left the room, swearing to himself that he would atone for his mistakes and win Rocket's trust back. 

* * *

Nebula's body was lying on the table. Yondu would have liked to say she looked peaceful, like she was sleeping. But actually, she looked slightly sad. Since he was the most familiar with the Ravager rites, he had been responsible for putting the colorful ropes over her. He didn't even know if she would have wanted this as her funeral. He was sure she would have preferred the funeral rites of her planet, but no one in the team knew where Nebula was from. Gamora probably knew, but she wasn't here to ask. And that was a can of worms he didn't want to open right now. Every time he thought Peter was in the hands of…

Yondu shook his head. No, he definitely couldn't think about that or he would lose it. He took the interphone and pressed the communications button:

“Guys, it's time”. 

Five minutes later, the team was reunited around the table. It was slightly awkward because no one knew what to say. Nobody knew Nebula well, partly because she had wanted it that way and partly because they hadn't bothered to ask. 

“Ok” Rocket cleared his throat and continued. “Nebula was a complicated person. She didn't have an easy life and that shaped her. She wasn't kind or selfless because she could never be, but she was one of the strongest people I've ever met, a survivor. She always kept going looking forward when many others in her situation would have given up”.

Rocket looked up at his teammates who were looking back at him as if expecting him to continue. The raccoon just shrugged. 

“That's it. Anyone else wants to say something?”

They all shook their heads. Rocket had pretty much expressed their feelings towards Nebula, an admiration of her strength and courage. 

“Well, then. Farewell, Nebula” Yondu said and started the flames that would hopefully carry the brave warrior to another, better world. 

* * *

Peter stared at the dirty ceiling, trying to think of a way of getting out of their current situation. But deep down, he knew it was impossible. Even if he found a way of getting out of their cell, this ship was heavily guarded by Thanos’ Black Order and, of course, Thanos himself. There was nothing he could do against him. Well, almost nothing. He looked at his hands, thoughtfully. He had hurt Thanos a little bit. The Titan had definitely hissed, looking pained. But still, his energy wasn't nearly as powerful as on Ego. Just using that small amount had left him drained. Peter cursed his own weakness. If only he was stronger, maybe he could have saved Nebula and Gamora who was now sleeping with her head resting on his chest.  _ What a shitty boyfriend I am _ he thought, sighing. But he had one thing clear: Thanos had already taken too much from her. He would protect her even if it cost him his life. 

The sound of a door opening interrupted his thoughts. It was a hideous guy, who looked as if a squid and an eel had a child together. 

“Tell your girlfriend to wake up or I will do it myself”. 

Peter looked at him, rageful. But he obeyed because he didn't have any other choice. 

“Gamora, wake up”. 

She was up in seconds, her eyes widening for a few seconds when she was the figure in front of her before her face set in a scowl.

“Maw” she said with disgust. “I see you're still Thanos’ fanatical lackey”. 

“Very funny” Maw replied though his face remained impassive. Before anyone could react, he got out a cane and, through the bars, he hit Peter in the ribs with it. The Terran let out a yell and fell on his knees. 

“Peter!”

“I'm ok” he said, a little breathless.

“For now” Maw said with a creepy smile. “Do you want to keep making jokes, Gamora?”

The Zenwhoberian looked ready to murder Maw, but she kept silent. She knew this would happen the instant she was captured, that they would use Peter against her. That's why she hadn't let anyone get close to her for so many years. She was a fool for believing things could change for her. Now she had put the man she loved in danger for her recklessness.

“I only came to here” Maw continued, satisfied now that the two looked obedient “that Thanos will find out where you have hidden the Soul stone, Gamora. You would do well in confessing now or things will get… unpleasant for your boyfriend”.

Gamora didn't show any emotions on her face, but inside she was freaking out. They would torture Peter to get the stone and she wasn't sure she could take it. She wanted to be strong, but this was too much. She would break and tell Thanos the location of the Soul Stone, universe be damned. Then, Peter took her hand and squeezed it. He gave her a reassuring smile.  _ Damn it, how can be so calm? _

Maw laughed, seeing the scene. 

“Well, aren't you two lovely? It will be interesting to see who breaks down first. I've heard Terrans have extremely fragile bodies, I've never tortured one before”. 

“Half Terran, asshole. Do your research”. 

That earned him another hit in the ribs, but it was worth it just to see how it wiped that smug smile off his face. 

“Well, anyway. First, we have to make a pit stop and then the fun will begin”. 

“Where are we going?” Gamora asked. 

“To collect the Space Stone. Once the Lord gets it, he will be invincible. And I will love to defeat those arrogant Asgardians”. 


	7. Chapter 7

“Would you stop this charade?”

“What charade? Have you lost your mind, son?”

“I'm not your son, Loki!”

Thor Odinson was fuming. He had recently discovered that his brother (who he had thought to be dead) had impersonated his father and was ruling Asgard in his name. And said brother had the gall of sitting on the royal throne denying all this. But, to be honest, that wasn't even the weirdest thing that had ever happened in his family. 

“Your words wound me, son. Your brother is no longer among us”. 

Very well. Enough was enough. Thor climbed the stairs to the throne. Two guards tried to stop him, but he pushed them aside easily. He grabbed “Odin” by the lapels of the jacket, lifting him up until he didn't touch the ground. 

“If you don't confess right now, I swear the battle against Malekith will seem a walk in the park compared to what I will do to you!”

The king frowned in a very unodin-like gesture. 

“Fine, fine. Jeez, you can't let people enjoy things, can you?”

There was a flash of light and Loki stood before him, with an apologetic smile on his face. He put his hands up in signal of surrender. 

“Come on, brother. Don't be angry. You know I am an excellent ruler, much better than the old man”. 

Thor was about to yell at Loki like he had done thousands of times before because how dared he? And precisely that was the problem. Some people were incorrigible and maybe there was no hope for his brother after all. It hurt, but he was starting to understand it was a pretty real possibility. It just wasn't worth it. 

“Whatever” he replied, sighing. “Where is father, Loki?”

“Oh, that” Loki said, as if he was talking about some eggs he forgot to buy at the market. “I sent him to Midgard. He's fine. Nothing ever happens in Midgard”. 

“You mean except for that time you tried to invade it with a Chitauri army”. 

“How many times do I have to tell you? That wasn't my idea!”

“It never is your idea!”

“Actually, he's right. It was mine”. 

Both brothers turned. Thanos stood in the middle of the hall. All the guards immediately pointed their spears at him. 

“Put those down, idiots. It's a hologram” Loki said. 

The guards kept their spears up though, until Thor nodded confirming what his brother had said. Loki rolled his eyes, annoyed. Of course they wouldn't listen to him even if he was right, that was precisely why he had decided to adopt Odin's appearance. Not like that mattered right now, but it was easier to focus on those feelings rather than on the fact that Thanos was there. He knew that part of his past would come back to bite him in the ass someday, but he didn't expect it to be so soon. 

“What do you want, Mad Titan?” Thor asked. 

Loki flinched. Thanos hated that nickname. Of course Thor had never cared about annoying people more powerful than him. Arrogant fool. 

“You have the Space Stone”.

“We're not giving it to you”. 

“Well, brother. Maybe we could discuss this…”

“No!” Thor shouted. “We'll put the entire galaxy in danger if we give it to scrotum face over there”. 

“And if you don't, he'll destroy Asgard”. 

“Again, Loki is right” Thanos interrupted. “Maybe you should see what happened to Xandar”. 

The hall fell silent. Asgard and Xandar had never been allies. Their cultures were too different, but they had had a relationship based on respect. Thor had even visited the planet a couple of times in diplomatic missions. And that monster had destroyed it. Who knows how many people were dead? And his planet could be next.

“You have half an hour to decide” Thanos added, smirking because he knew the Asgardians were terrified. “If I don't have an answer by then… well, you can say goodbye to Asgard”. 

The hologram disappeared. Thor sighed. His first minute as a king and he already had to deal with a galactic crisis. Worst first day on the job ever.

"Thor..." Loki started.

"Loki, I swear if you start... "

"What do you want me to say?!" he yelled. "You wanted to be a king, well this is what a king does. Choose between the bad and the worse option".

"What is Thanos' plan, brother? You kind of forgot to tell me that. Why is he so obsessed with getting the stones?" 

"Basically, he wants to wipe out half of the universe. He has a whole set of righteous reasons to justify it and feel himself like the hero of the story. But it's just, as Terrans say, bullshit".

"And that half of the universe would include Asgard, right?"

"Maybe not. We could make a deal".

"Come on, you don't really believe that"

"No, Thor. I don't believe it".

His brother looked at him and Thor was struck by the desperation in his eyes. Loki never looked desperate, he always had a plan B, C, D and E. Somehow, seeing him like this was more terrifying to Thor than Thanos himself. He forced himself to smile and try to cheer his brother. He knew the situation was desperate, but they needed to keep hope alive. Otherwise, they would be truly lost. 

"Oh, don't look so down! And then I'm the dramatic one. We've faced worse odds".

"No, we haven't". 

"Ok, maybe not. But we're the gods of thunder and trickery... "

"Who the hells calls me that?"

"... and, as Terrans say, we're badass. We will defeat Thanos".

Loki still looked dubitative. 

"But if you want to run away to a safer place, I understand". 

Loki stared at his brother, incredulous. He understands? For Odin's sake, he had betrayed him countless times, he had faked his death! And he understood?

"You're hopeless, Thor". 

"Feeling's mutual. So?" 

Loki smiled. 

"You know? I'm a bit tired of running and hey, if we defeat Thanos I'll be considered a hero even bigger than you".

"Ha! In your dreams". 

* * *

And here Loki was. Trying to tear through Thanos’ ship. Because he was stupid. It wasn't going so bad, actually. Thanos’ monsters had been let loose in the middle of the city, but the Asgardian army was fearless. They had been trained to be. Some glorified dogs weren't going to destroy them. The rest of the Asgardian army had been sent to destroy the ship and was commanded by Loki. If someone had told him a few weeks ago that he would be in charge of an army without any kind of trick or treachery, he would have laughed. But desperate times… 

A soldier tried to stop him, gun raised, but Loki hit him with a ray of magic. Unfortunately, he hadn't taken into account the secondary effects and the guard exploded, drenching him with blood. Damn it, those were his favorite clothes.

"War is so messy” he said.   

“Wow, that's having priorities”. 

Loki looked to the right, where the voice had come from. A man and a woman were in a cell. The woman had a dangerous glint in her eyes while the man... Well, the man looked like an idiot. And of course he had been the one who talked.

"So... Can you get us out of here?" the man asked.

"I don't know. I don't like people who insult me".

"Come on, man. I'm assuming you want to defeat Thanos, right? Then, we're the best option! This one right here" he said, pointing to the woman. "is Gamora, one of Thanos' daughters".

"Peter, don't tell him that!"

"Why not?" he said, shrugging. "Our situation can't get any worse".

"Never say never" Loki replied with a sardonic smile. “But yes, maybe I am interested in getting you out. You, Gamora, are famous for hating Thanos. I guess your feelings haven't changed”.

“Not in the slightest” she said, also smiling dangerously. 

“Are you guys flirting or something?”

Gamora rolled their eyes. 

“Really?”

“Hey! It gave off that vibe!"

“Do I have to get him out too?” Loki asked. 

“Yes, we're a package deal”. 

“Ugh, fine”.

Loki waved a hand and the door opened. Peter made a sound of appreciation. 

“That's a nice trick”. 

“Oh, and I have many others”. 

“You still haven't told us your name, by the way”. 

“I'm Loki Odinson. Prince of Asgard”. 

* * *

Thor threw the Mjolnir at Thanos. No being in the universe was strong enough to avoid his hammer. It had been forged by the best builders in Nidavellir. Maybe Thanos had never lost, but he had never faced him before, Thor thought smiling. 

Said smile was wiped off his face when Thanos grabbed the hammer with one hand. It was Thanos’ turn to smile when he closed the fist with the gauntlet and Mjolnir turned into bubbles. Thor stared at the place where the hammer had been, dumbstruck. One of the most powerful magical weapon, thousands of years old, gone in an instant. It was as if he had lost a part of himself. 

“Did you really think your little toy could stop me? I think you are not conscious of the power of the Stones”. 

Thanos’ words got Thor out of his trance. Right. He couldn't dwell on the loss of his hammer now. He had to save Asgard and the universe, that was his only purpose. 

“I know the power of the Stones. That's why you're not getting the Tesseract”.

“I gave your brother one Stone, and he not only lost it but failed to recover the other one. Your king is gone, lost in another planet. And you? You are nothing without that ridiculous hammer”.

“Don't mock me, Titan. I am a god”. 

“A god? Don't make me laugh. You Asgardians like to boast about your power, but you're really just a bunch of incompetent weaklings!”

Thanos launched himself towards Thor and punched him in the stomach. The Asgardian felt how all the air was sucked out of him. Then, the Titan hit him in the nape of the neck with the Gauntlet and Thor fell to the floor, dizzy. Thanos caught him by the hair, making him stand on his knees. 

“You know? I hate arrogance, and you are so full of it…I will destroy your home, Asgardian. And there is nothing you can do to stop it because you're just a puny god. And then, when everything is in ruins, I will make sure your brother pays for betraying me”. 

Those words woke something up in Thor. He had lost so much already: his mother, his love… He couldn't lose anything else, he wouldn't allow it. He would fight for the people he had left, and for his planet. He would become the king that Asgardians deserved. He roared, full of rage, and lighting erupted from his body and engulfed Thanos. For the first time in his life, he felt the true power of thunder. He felt whole. And he loved it. 

Thanos yelled and got away from Thor. 

“Interesting. But that is not enough to stop me”. 

This time Thor was the one who charged at Thanos, thunder cracking. But the Titan dodged him. 

“This has been fun, but I have other priorities. Don't worry, we'll see each other again… If you survive your planet's fall”.  

“No!” 

But it was too late. Thanos pointed the gauntlet to the ground. The floor melted under Thor's feet and swallowed him up. The last thing he saw was Thanos’ face bathed by the blue light of the Tesseract. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone! So this is the first chapter with MCU characters that are not from gotg. I hope it wasn't too tedious. I thought starting with the best brothers in the MCU was a good idea. But my god, Thor is hard to write, even harder than Thanos. I think it's because of his radical personality change in Ragnarok.
> 
> Btw, in case there are any doubts, this fic is set after Thor: the Dark World but before Ragnarok. That's because Ragnarok is set just before IW, and this fic technically happens a few years before IW so the characters can have time to prepare. 
> 
> So, I hope you like and, as usual, please leave comments and kudos :)


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